In known systems configured for use within, or that are in communication with, transportation units, device and asset connection have been configured in a point-to-point manner for a limited set of connectivity purposes. In an avionics environment, the emphasis of such point-to-point connections has been airworthiness and airplane safety. Busses and networks configured for such applications have been use-specific, and have not been configured for extensibility and/or dynamic reconfiguration.
For example, known networking tools adapted to transportation units (e.g. aircraft) have tended to serve a single purpose, such as the transmission of maintenance data, or alternatively, the transmission of in-flight data. In a more specific example, during a maintenance period a maintenance device might be attached to a maintenance bus, allowing collection, and perhaps processing, of information from a plurality of devices on the bus. However, the same bus would have little or no use doing the manufacturing process of the transportation unit, and would not provide for connectivity to a wide range of devices or for dynamic reconfiguration during operation.
In such an environment, wherein connections are primarily point-to-point and application-specific, functionality is limited to use in specifically anticipated applications and for similarly anticipated functions. Since it is desirable to provide for the collection, processing and/or transmission of ever-increasing amounts of data, there is a need for improved systems and methods for providing a networked environment within a transportation unit.